In the federal election year, Vinnies’ annual CEO Sleepout — the charity’s biggest fundraiser — will take place at Old Parliament House, enshrining support for homeless people, the most vulnerable members of the demos, in a national symbol of Australian democracy.
On 19 June, in the depths of winter, Canberra’s privileged will sleep rough for one night, in the courtyard of the Museum of Australian Democracy (MoAD), to raise money for those in need and to experience what they suffer.
“We raise awareness — so that homelessness is not ignored,” said St Vincent de Paul Society Canberra/Goulburn CEO Lucy Hohnen. “We raise funds — so that Vinnies can provide help and lift people out of crisis. We raise hope — because no-one should have to face homelessness alone.”
Canberra is an affluent city, but it has a hidden and growing underbelly of homelessness. Every night, at least 1,777 Canberrans are without a home: individuals, families, women escaping domestic violence, young people, and even workers.
They are not homeless by choice, but due to the cost-of-living crisis, a lack of affordable housing, mental and physical illness, abuse, unemployment, or catastrophic life events, Ms Hohnen said.
The ACT’s homelessness rate is getting worse every day, the Early Morning Centre, a frontline support service in Civic, stated last year. Nearly 870 children sought help from local homeless services in 2022–23: nearly half were under the age of nine, and a quarter were Indigenous. Nearly 570 women and children fleeing domestic and family violence were homeless. An estimated one in nine Canberrans — between 35,000 and 40,000 people — live in poverty, many at risk of homelessness.
Housing and homelessness were the most important issues at last year’s local election, ACTCOSS and ACT Shelter said: the problem worsened while the housing supply shrank. Vinnies called then for 3,000 more social housing properties over the next five years and increased funding for homelessness services.
Nationally, homelessness increased from 95,300 people in 2001 to 122,000 in 2021.
“This is a huge problem across the whole of Australia,” Ms Hohnen said. “To be able to live affordably and to be able to afford the very basics of life should be the target for any political party.”
Demand for Vinnies’s services has surged. Every day, 130 desperate people call its crisis hotline. Some 700 households have sought help more than five times “to cover the very basics — food, rent and other essential costs so they don’t slip into homelessness”, Ms Hohnen said.
Even salaried workers are struggling to find a secure home and food: “People who would never have imagined having to approach a charity […] still can’t make ends meet.”
“The pressure on not-for-profit organisations, charities like ours, is real,” Ms Hohnen said. “We have waiting lists for every one of our homelessness services. We just cannot maintain that support for that demand.”
Since the Sleepout began in 2010, it has raised more than $8.7 million. Last year, it set a target of $800,000 and raised $850,000 — an amount Vinnies hopes to match, or even exceed. More than 130 CEOs, business owners, community and government leaders — backed by public donations — will each raise at least $4,000.
“The funds we raise over the coming months will directly support those in need, ensuring that Vinnies can continue to respond to this ever-growing crisis,” Ms Hohnen said. “It is vitally important to enable our services to provide assistance to people experiencing disadvantage in our region. We need to reach our fundraising target so that we are there to help people when they need us the most. We know this is ambitious in the current economic climate, but […] we can get there.”
This year’s seven ‘ambassadors’ — the public faces of the Sleepout — include Ben Hastings (AllBids), who himself was homeless as a teenager; last year’s ACT Australian of the Year, Joanne Farrell; and Ashlee Berry (Property Council of Australia).
Four of the ambassadors are veterans: Mirko Milic (Canberra Toyota), David Autin (Sacred Heart Primary School), Neville Tomkins (Scouts ACT), and real estate agent Christine Shaw. Between them, they have raised $700,000 in previous years. In 2024, Mr Milic raised $42,000, Mr Tomkins $39,400, and Ms Shaw $31,100, while Catholic Education Canberra raised $62,000.
MoAD was honoured to host and support the CEO Sleepout, Andrew Harper, deputy director of MoAD, said.
“Old Parliament House has long been a place of influence and connection, and we are harnessing that power to support St Vincent de Paul Society Canberra/Goulburn in their mission to combat homelessness.”
To register or to donate, visit https://www.ceosleepout.org.au/
